Myron Pottios
Encyclopedia
Myron Joseph Pottios is a former American football
linebacker
in the National Football League
for the Washington Redskins
, Los Angeles Rams
, and the Pittsburgh Steelers
. He was elected to play in 3 Pro Bowl
s.
at the University of Notre Dame
and was drafted
in the second round of the 1961 NFL Draft
by the Pittsburgh Steelers, also in the third round of the 1961 AFL Draft
by the Oakland Raiders
. He chose to play in Pittsburgh.
from his rookie year, 1961, up to 1965. In his rookie year, he played in all 14 games, intercepting 2 passes and recovering 1 fumble for a defense that was 7th among 14 NFL teams in points allowed. He did not play in 1962. In 1963, he played in all 14 games, intercepting 4 passes for a defense that finished 8th among 14 NFL teams in points allowed, playing alongside rookie outside linebacker Andy Russell
. In 1964, he played in only 7 of 14 games, intercepting 1 pass and recovering 1 fumble for a defense that finished 9th among 14 NFL teams in points allowed. In 1965, he played in only 6 games, intercepting no pass and with no fumble recovery for a defense that finished 12th among 14 NFL teams in points allowed and a team that ended the season at 2-12. The Steelers did not make the playoffs during any of those years, but had a fine won-lost record of 7-4-3 in 1963.
and Maxie Baughan
throughout. In 1966, Pottios played in 12 games, but was the backup middle linebacker to the 37-year old Bill George
who played in all 14 games. In 1967, he played 11 of 14 games, intercepting 1 pass and recovering 1 fumble for the best defense in the league among 16 NFL teams in points allowed. That team lost to the Green Bay Packers
in the divisional round, in which Pottios started at middle linebacker. In 1968, he played all 14 games, recovering 4 fumbles for a defense that finished 3rd among 16 NFL teams in points allowed. But, in 1969, he played in only 5 of 14 games, replaced by Doug Woodlief. That team lost to the Minnesota Vikings
in the divisional round with Woodldief as the starter. In 1970, his final year with the Rams, he regained his starting middle linebacker position, playing in all 14 games, with 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles recovered for a defense that finished 4th among 26 NFL teams in points allowed.
(1971–73). In 1971, Pottios played in all 14 games and had one interception for a defense that finished 4th of 26 teams in the NFL in points allowed. That team lost a divisional round game to the San Francisco 49ers
in which Pottios started. In 1972, he played in only 7 games of 14 games, replaced by Harold McLinton
, and recovered 1 fumble for a defense that finished 3rd of 26 teams in the NFL in points allowed. However, Pottios was the starting middle linebacker in all 3 playoff games the Redskins played that year, when they won a divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers
and the NFC championship game against the Dallas Cowboys
, in which the Roger Staubach
-led Cowboys were limited to a miserable 169 yards of total offense and 3 points. However, Washington lost Super Bowl XVII
to the Miami Dolphins
14 to 7, in which they could not handle the running attack led by Larry Csonka
. In 1973, his final year in the NFL, he played in only 6 of 14 games, but started a divisional round match against the Minnesota Vikings
, losing his final game.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
, Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, and the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
. He was elected to play in 3 Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
s.
College
Pottios played college footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at the University of Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
and was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the second round of the 1961 NFL Draft
1961 NFL Draft
The 1961 National Football League Draft took place on December 27–28, 1960. The league would later hold an expansion draft for the Minnesota Vikings expansion franchise, and the Vikings were also awarded the first selection position in this draft. This draft was also the first regular draft for...
by the Pittsburgh Steelers, also in the third round of the 1961 AFL Draft
1961 American Football League Draft
Because another league was in competition for the class of 1961 college stars, the American Football League draft for 1961 graduates was actually held in 1960, with a six-round telephone draft on November 23, that saw the Denver Broncos select New Mexico State's Bob Gaiters as the overall first...
by the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He chose to play in Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pottios became the starting middle linebacker of the Pittsburgh SteelersPittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
from his rookie year, 1961, up to 1965. In his rookie year, he played in all 14 games, intercepting 2 passes and recovering 1 fumble for a defense that was 7th among 14 NFL teams in points allowed. He did not play in 1962. In 1963, he played in all 14 games, intercepting 4 passes for a defense that finished 8th among 14 NFL teams in points allowed, playing alongside rookie outside linebacker Andy Russell
Andy Russell
Charles Andrew "Andy" Russell wore number 34 as linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1963 and from 1966–1976, the two-year gap being from when Russell temporarily left the team for the Army. He was an early member of Pittsburgh's famed Steel Curtain defense, and was named the Steelers' MVP...
. In 1964, he played in only 7 of 14 games, intercepting 1 pass and recovering 1 fumble for a defense that finished 9th among 14 NFL teams in points allowed. In 1965, he played in only 6 games, intercepting no pass and with no fumble recovery for a defense that finished 12th among 14 NFL teams in points allowed and a team that ended the season at 2-12. The Steelers did not make the playoffs during any of those years, but had a fine won-lost record of 7-4-3 in 1963.
Los Angeles Rams
In contrast, when Pottios joined the Rams from 1966 to 1970, with George Allen as head coach, they were above the .500 mark throughout the period and made the playoffs twice, in 1967 and 1969, with won-lost records of 11-1-2 and 11-3, respectively. Pottios was the starting middle linebacker from 1967 to 1970, playing between outside linebackers Jack PardeeJack Pardee
-NFL:-External links:...
and Maxie Baughan
Maxie Baughan
-Honors:In addition to being a member of the Georgia Tech and College Football Halls of Fame, Baughan has also been inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame , the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame. However, he has not yet been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of...
throughout. In 1966, Pottios played in 12 games, but was the backup middle linebacker to the 37-year old Bill George
Bill George
William J. George was a professional football player, playing linebacker, for the Chicago Bears and the Los Angeles Rams....
who played in all 14 games. In 1967, he played 11 of 14 games, intercepting 1 pass and recovering 1 fumble for the best defense in the league among 16 NFL teams in points allowed. That team lost to the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
in the divisional round, in which Pottios started at middle linebacker. In 1968, he played all 14 games, recovering 4 fumbles for a defense that finished 3rd among 16 NFL teams in points allowed. But, in 1969, he played in only 5 of 14 games, replaced by Doug Woodlief. That team lost to the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
in the divisional round with Woodldief as the starter. In 1970, his final year with the Rams, he regained his starting middle linebacker position, playing in all 14 games, with 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles recovered for a defense that finished 4th among 26 NFL teams in points allowed.
Washington Redskins
Pottios followed his fired head coach, George Allen, along with Jack Pardee, to the Redskins in 1971, playing up to 1973, where his team reached the playoffs all three years, inserted between outside linebackers Pardee (1971–72) or Dave Robinson (1973) and Chris HanburgerChris Hanburger
Christian G. Hanburger, Jr. is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League who played his entire fourteen year career with the Washington Redskins from 1965 to 1978...
(1971–73). In 1971, Pottios played in all 14 games and had one interception for a defense that finished 4th of 26 teams in the NFL in points allowed. That team lost a divisional round game to the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
in which Pottios started. In 1972, he played in only 7 games of 14 games, replaced by Harold McLinton
Harold McLinton
Harold Lucious McLinton was an American football player who played linebacker in the National Football League with the Washington Redskins from 1969 to 1978....
, and recovered 1 fumble for a defense that finished 3rd of 26 teams in the NFL in points allowed. However, Pottios was the starting middle linebacker in all 3 playoff games the Redskins played that year, when they won a divisional round game against the Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
and the NFC championship game against the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
, in which the Roger Staubach
Roger Staubach
Roger Thomas Staubach is a businessman, Heisman Trophy winner and legendary Hall of Fame former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys from 1969 until 1979. Staubach was instrumental in developing the Cowboys into becoming one of the best teams of the 1970s and led the team to nine of the Cowboys'...
-led Cowboys were limited to a miserable 169 yards of total offense and 3 points. However, Washington lost Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII
Super Bowl XVII was an American football game played on January 30, 1983 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California to decide the National Football League champion following the strike-shortened 1982 regular season...
to the Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
14 to 7, in which they could not handle the running attack led by Larry Csonka
Larry Csonka
Larry Richard Csonka is a former collegiate and professional American football fullback.-Childhood:One of six children, Csonka was born in Stow, Ohio where he was raised on a farm by his Hungarian family...
. In 1973, his final year in the NFL, he played in only 6 of 14 games, but started a divisional round match against the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
, losing his final game.
External links
- http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PottMy00.htm